Arthur Carmody, 1899-1987

Arthur Carmody, Sr. was born December 16, 1899 at Trenton, Nebraska to Michael and Rosa (Jones) Carmody. He was educated in the Trenton schools. On December 30, 1940, Carmody married Grace Palmer in Grand Island, Nebraska. The couple had one son, Arthur Carmody, Jr., who preceded his parents in death on February 28, 1972.

From 1941 to 1955 Carmody served as a state senator for Nebraska. In addition to his political activities, he found time for real estate and farming ventures. During his fifty years of service to the Nebraska State Historical Society, he served several years as the President.

Carmody's interest in the history of Hitchcock County and in the history and folklore of colorful Nebraska characters led him to collect both published materials and original documents relating to Nebraska history and the West.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The materials in the Carmody collection relate Arthur Carmody's interest in the history of frontier life in Nebraska, as well as folklore or stories related to families and incidents of the pioneer time period. The collection consists primarily of correspondence between Carmody and several informants familiar with the stories and histories of Nebraska settlers. The collection is arranged in three series: 1) Correspondence from William Shelley; 2) Miscellaneous Correspondence; and 3) Miscellaneous.

Series 1 contains correspondence with William Shelley, a pioneer and amateur historian. It relates mainly to the history of Frontier County and especially to the Ballantine Family.